What I underestimated about launching on Product Hunt

I launched a product on Product Hunt for the first time today, and the experience has been very different from what I expected.

Before launching, I focused heavily on the product itself: making it useful, preparing the demo, screenshots, copy, and making sure everything was ready.

What I underestimated was everything that happens before launch.

It seems like having an existing Product Hunt network, building relationships with other makers, preparing an audience, and being active in the community beforehand can make a much bigger difference than I expected.

For experienced makers, I’d love to understand this better:

How much of a successful Product Hunt launch is actually determined before launch day?

If you were starting again with a brand-new Product Hunt account and no existing audience there, what would you do differently in the 30 days before launching?

I’d especially love to hear from people whose first launch didn’t perform well but who later had a successful one. What changed?